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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939812">Worse for wear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparklingDragonTears/pseuds/SparklingDragonTears'>SparklingDragonTears</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath, And also a killer, Concussions, Corporal Punishment, Gen, Gratuitous use of italics, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Partners got your back, Retaliation, Rude is a softie, ShinRa Mafia, Turks (Compilation of FFVII), gone wrong</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:48:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939812</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparklingDragonTears/pseuds/SparklingDragonTears</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno was beaten badly, the damage worse than anyone thought.<br/>It takes days of half-waking nightmares before he finally wakes up.<br/>Rude is the first thing he sees.</p>
<p>Aftermath of Red Ch. 2, Fury.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reno &amp; Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Worse for wear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(Rude disappears for a while and fucks some people up. <br/>No one gets away with hurting his little Red.)</p>
<p>I assume he had terrible concussions. <br/>Don't question it, just enjoy fluffy partner Rude and good guy Miko.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reno found himself in a strange and terrifying half-waking nightmare haze for longer than he could process. Every time his eyes opened, it was a different time of day, judging by how much the sun was blinding him at any given moment. He couldn’t remember much of anything between wakings other than horrific pain and blood, screaming and darkness. He was pretty sure he’d woken up vomiting once or twice, and almost certain he’d collapsed onto the couch, but somehow, his mouth tasted only like sleep and he found himself in his bed when he cared to think about it.</p>
<p>A few times, he thought he’d heard Rude’s voice, low and deep and angry. All he could think was that he’d fucked up again, done something to piss the man off and that he deserved hearing him yell, muffled through roar in his ears. It only confused him more that he wasn’t actively hurting, that he could barely move. His limbs felt like bricks, his eyelids even heavier. He thought he’d woken up alone, more than once, but no sooner had he blinked (the sun shifted through his window a lot, huh?) he’d see those deep eyes looking back at him before the world disappeared again.</p>
<p>It was all at once that he finally came back to the land of the living. He was suddenly aware of the suffocating heat of blankets around him, the dull ache of deep-set, healing bruises on his ribs, the twinge of an old break in a bone at his right wrist. He was distinctly aware of the light threatening to scorch his eyes out through his eyelids, and the thirst wracking him like a man in the desert.</p>
<p>“<i>-wasn’t gonna let him bleed out,</i>”</p>
<p>Reno recognized the ruff grumble.</p>
<p>“<i>You’re too emotional, you were careless.</i>”</p>
<p>He knew that sharp speech, recognized it immediately as scolding from Rude’s partner.</p>
<p>“<i>Would’ve killed them if you'd let me.</i>” Rude snapped back.</p>
<p>“<i>You did enough.</i>” Miko answered softly, like he were trying to placate the man.</p>
<p>“<i>…should've just dropped the bastard from the Plate.</i>”</p>
<p>Miko huffed a laugh and Reno heard him shifting.</p>
<p>“<i>He’s awake.</i>” </p>
<p>At once, those big, gentle fingers trailed over the tattoo on one side of Reno’s face, making him flinch back automatically. He groaned and tried to turn away, but Rude’s voice cut through his uncomfortable dark, keeping him from curling into himself.</p>
<p>“<i>Red?</i>” Rude asked carefully, brushing wild hairs from his forehead with such a delicate touch that Reno forced himself to crack open a single eye.</p>
<p>Rude looked more than a little worse for wear. His glasses were nowhere to be seen, revealing the concerned eyes boring through him. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. His suit was dirt-stained and crumpled. Miko stood behind him, hands tucked into his pockets, looking over the two of them. His eyebrows were creased with worry, a look Reno had never seen on the man before.</p>
<p>“Reno?” Rude asked, eyes raking over Reno’s face like he might disappear before their eyes.</p>
<p>Reno could only grunt in reply, letting his eye slip closed again. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Rude’s low voice shook him just enough to keep from gliding back under the darkness. “Stay with me kid, just for a minute.”</p>
<p>“Open your eyes, Reno.” Miko called from somewhere distant in the growing black. “Got a healing spell for you, but you gotta be awake.”</p>
<p>Reno absolutely did not want to do anything of the sort, but the fingers on his forehead were shaking, and he knew it was bad. Whatever he wasn’t feeling in his body would probably kill him if he didn’t listen to them. He was <i>so</i> tired, he couldn’t even feel angry, or afraid, or anything at all. </p>
<p>“<i>Please, Red, open your eyes…</i>”</p>
<p>It was Rude’s pleading whisper that he finally grabbed onto, dragging himself back to the awful, terrible, stabbing daylight.</p>
<p>“There you are,” Rude breathed, visibly relieved. “You know what happened?”</p>
<p>Reno didn’t answer, instead looking around the man to where Miko was pressing a glowing spell into the cuff at his wrist, taking out a purple materia and tucking it into his pocket carefully. Miko stepped right beside Rude, reaching out and resting his hand against Reno’s forehead. The skin felt ice cold, making him shiver.</p>
<p>Miko closed his eyes and cast a powerful healing spell through him that made Reno’s every nerve come alive. He had only experienced healing spells a handful of times in his life, and they were nothing like this. His eyes sprung wide and he felt like he could see new colors in the millisecond it took him to blink. The muffle in his ears vanished, leaving a slight ring in the silence. He heard himself gasping in deep breaths of air, his chest expanding like he’d never breathed in his life. Every possible <i>hint</i> of an ache vanished, leaving him feeling as though he’d slept for weeks. </p>
<p>It was better than any mako high he’d ever chased, leaving him feeling completely and utterly reborn.</p>
<p>When the glow settled and the world came back to him, he caught the smirk tugging up the corner of Miko’s lips. He switched the materia back out, stepping back to give the other two some space.</p>
<p>“ShinRa’s finest.” Miko offered with a shrug. </p>
<p>Reno sat up, finally shoving the sweaty, sweltering blankets from around him. He found himself tugged against a wall of chest that absolutely did <i>not</i> make his cheeks heat up. He let his arms automatically reach up and grasp onto the silky suit coat lapels, ignoring that he was holding almost tightly enough to tear them. Heavy arms settled around his back, locking tightly around him. He heard a door somewhere in his apartment close lightly and finally let himself breathe Rude in deep, the sturdy, protective embrace holding him like a barrier.</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry, Reno.” Rude murmured into his hair from above him.</p>
<p>Reno felt himself calming, not realizing he’d been on the verge of panic until his heartbeat began to steady. He would have felt instantly embarrassed, had he not felt the shaking sigh from the other man’s chest. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d ended up here, with someone who cared enough to be worried about him, enough to be <i>happy</i> that he was alive. </p>
<p>He sniffled lightly, not willing to admit that <i>maybe</i> a couple tears forced themselves free.</p>
<p>“Hope you got ‘em good, yo.” He muttered into his mentor’s ruined dress shirt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Till next time,<br/>-J X</p></blockquote></div></div>
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